When Lin Shen came back, the shop was already empty. The only one left was Lin Wangye, leaning against the wall with a blood-covered knife stuck in his shoulder.
The guys who went with him to get the money saw things going south and ran off the second they got a chance.
Lin Shen’s mind went totally blank, like something exploded in his head. His eyes turned red instantly. He didn’t even think about those two guys—didn’t waste a second. He just rushed over to check on him.
Once he made sure the knife hadn’t hit anything vital, he forced himself to calm down. Hands shaking, he pulled out his phone and tried to call an ambulance. It was just ‘1-2-0,’ but his fingers fumbled so badly he had to press the numbers three times before the call finally went through.
He quickly explained what had happened and told them where they were. Then he called Lu Chengxuan. It wasn’t until after he hung up that he noticed—his wrist, the one bracing him on the ground, was being lightly held.
Lin Wangye was drenched in cold sweat, like he’d just been dragged out of water. His face was pale, and the color in his lips had almost completely faded.
The pain hit hard after the adrenaline started to wear off. It was so bad, he couldn’t even keep his body still when breathing—every breath dragged a fresh wave of stabbing pain through him.
That’s when Lin Shen realized—he hadn’t passed out.
A million questions and a stomach full of anger were right on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them all down.
He didn’t dare move him, not even a little. Carefully, like he was afraid of hurting him more, he used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his forehead. And when he finally tried to speak, he realized his voice was so hoarse he could barely get the words out.
“It’s okay now. Don’t be scared…”
The moment their eyes met, Lin Wangye’s tears spilled over, dripping silently. Still clutching Lin Shen’s wrist, he said in a voice so weak it almost broke, “Catch… him…”
Lin Shen wanted nothing more than to tear that bastard apart with his bare hands. But right now, he had to hold it together. He took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady.
“I know. Just save your strength. Don’t talk.”
The worst kind of people in this world are the ones who hover just outside the law, no morals, no shame. Lin Wangye had thought about it a hundred times—whether going after Xu Shengrung like this, in such a reckless, dangerous way, was really the right thing.
But when the person you love looks at you with those worried eyes… how can you not feel it?
All these years, Shi Yuan had been holding this broken-down family together, barely hanging on through storms and stress.
Lin Wangye didn’t want to keep living like that anymore.
But most of all, he had to make sure nothing messed with Xu Suihe’s treatment. He couldn’t let someone like Xu Shengrung, with no limits and no conscience, keep bleeding the family dry.
Cutting the poison out at the root—that was the fastest and most effective way.
Even if he could go back, he wouldn’t do it any differently. No regrets. But the thing he couldn’t control—was the pain. That wave of hot blood and reckless fire was gone now, and what came after was a pain so sharp it pierced straight through his brain.
His body shook as he cried, and that made it hurt even more. All of it—everything—left him feeling helpless and completely broken inside.
He stayed quiet for a while, but couldn’t help it. Looking at Lin Shen, eyes full of tears, he finally spoke.
“Dad… it hurts. It really hurts…”
The blood from the wound in his shoulder had already soaked through the sweater, spreading into a dark, messy stain. Lin Shen could barely bring himself to look. He sucked in a shaky breath, forced himself to look away, and gently reached out to touch his head, his voice soft and warm.
“It’s okay. The ambulance is almost here. Once they give you something for the pain and you get a little sleep, the doctors will fix you right up.”
Lin Wangye tried to smile, but his lips wouldn’t move. Instead, more tears just fell, ‘plop’, one after another.
“Don’t let Xu Suinian come… don’t let him see me like this…”
“But I already—”
Before he could even finish, the glass door behind the rolling shutter was slammed open so hard it crashed into the wall, cracking like a spider web. Shi Yuan rushed in and dropped to his knees in front of Lin Wangye. The second he saw the knife, his breathing hitched and then just stopped.
It took a long moment before he could move. Then, with a shaking hand, he gently reached out and touched Lin Wangye’s face. His eyes were blood-red, and even his fingertips were trembling so hard he couldn’t control them.
His lips moved over and over again, but not a single word came out.
Lin Wangye struggled a little, then slumped back against the wall, totally drained. He took a slow, shaky breath and whispered, “It doesn’t hurt. It’s okay. Doesn’t hurt at all.”
Seeing how pale Shi Yuan looked—almost worse than Lin Wangye—Lin Shen quickly patted his shoulder to steady him.
“The knife missed anything serious. Don’t panic.”
From the moment he stepped through the door, Shi Yuan’s mind had gone completely blank. He kept digging his nails into his palm just to stay somewhat grounded, just like Lin Shen. Neither of them dared to touch Lin Wangye too much.
The knife still stuck in him was actually helping, keeping the blood from pouring out even faster. They had to wait for the paramedics to get there. Moving him now would just make things worse.
Then came more footsteps—Lu Chengxuan arrived.
Out of all of them, he was the one keeping the coolest head. The reason he showed up a bit later was because he stopped on the way to move the stone barriers blocking the entrance to the pedestrian street—so the ambulance could drive straight in.
Once inside, he walked over, crouched down under the light, and quickly checked Lin Wangye’s wound. Then he stood, pushed the shutter all the way up, and swung both glass doors wide open.
“Brother Lu…”
Lin Shen suddenly spun around and shouted, “Lu Chengxuan! Hurry—he wants to talk to you!”
Lu Chengxuan immediately walked over and crouched down next to him. Lin Wangye glanced at Shi Yuan’s face, watching carefully, then shifted his gaze to Lin Shen. There was a hint of blame in his voice as he spoke:
“Don’t act like… I’m saying my last words or something.”
Lin Shen instinctively wanted to snap back, but the words got stuck in his throat. He turned his head, waved his hand, and signaled him to just go ahead and talk.
“Watch, Brother Lu… my watch,” Lin Wangye said to Lu Chengxuan.
There was a live tracker built into it.
Lu Chengxuan looked down. When he didn’t see a watch on either of Lin Wangye’s wrists, he got it right away—stood up, pulled out his phone, and started dialing.
The police, 110, actually arrived before the ambulance.
One officer first checked on Lin Wangye’s condition, then asked Lin Shen about what happened. They also took a few photos of the scene.
Not long after that, the ambulance finally pulled up outside.
The officers got on board with Lin Wangye and rode with him straight to the hospital. A team of doctors was already waiting, and they rushed him into the ER for emergency surgery.
Meanwhile, Lin Shen and Shi Yuan were left sitting outside the operating room, nerves shot, hearts pounding. After a while, a doctor with a badge reading ‘Chief Surgeon’ walked out from inside.
They both got up quickly to ask about the situation, but the man—clearly a veteran at this—just waved his hand and pointed back at the OR door. Then he pulled out his phone and casually started chatting with someone from another department, laughing as he walked off.
And just like that, Lin Shen felt like he could finally breathe again.
Sometimes, it turns out being ‘gnored by the chief’ is actually the best thing that can happen.
If even the top doctor didn’t need to do anything and still had time to shoot the breeze, it meant things probably weren’t that bad.
But Shi Yuan didn’t look relieved at all. His face was tense from beginning to end. Lin Shen sat there, head down, texting Lu Chengxuan non-stop, trying to get updates from the other side. Then he noticed Shi Yuan shifting slightly, stretching and patting his back almost as if to snap himself out of it.
“Hey,” Lin Shen said lightly, “having a crappy dad is normal. Don’t blame yourself. I was outta my mind too—I never should’ve left him alone in there.”
Shi Yuan had been silent for a long time. Then, all of a sudden, he spoke.
“No… something’s not right.”
Lin Shen looked confused. “What do you mean, not right?”
Shi Yuan glanced at the officer sitting across from them, but in the end, said nothing.
“Alright, alright,” Lin Shen sighed and patted his shoulder again. “Don’t overthink it. Let the cops do their job—he’ll get what’s coming to him. Right now, you just need to get your head straight, so when he wakes up, you’ll be in a good place to take care of him. Don’t sit there with that look on your face like the whole world owes you. You’ll just end up making him worry more.”
Shi Yuan finally let out a deep, heavy breath like he was releasing all the weight that had built up inside him. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and nodded.
About thirty minutes later, the door to the operating room finally opened.
A nurse walked out, holding a sealed clear plastic bag—and inside was the blood-covered folding knife.
One of the officers stepped forward to take it, snapping a photo as he looked down at the evidence.
Before the nurse could head back in, Lin Shen quickly rushed up to her.
“Hi—how’s he doing?”
“He’s still in debridement and getting stitched up.” She glanced around and asked, “Where’s the patient’s family?”
“Uh… his family situation is kinda complicated,” Lin Shen scratched his head, clearly a little awkward. “I’m his friend. Can I sign for him? I’ll take full responsibility!”
The nurse held the door handle, tilted her head slightly, and replied, “Don’t take TV dramas too seriously. In cases like this, the patient can sign for themselves once they wake up. If you really want to sign, he’ll need to write you a letter of authorization after. The reason we ask for family is because we need someone to pay the bill.”
Lin Shen nodded like crazy. “Got it, got it! I’ll take care of it right now!”
As the nurse went back in, Lin Shen pulled out his card, then smacked himself on the forehead.
“Sh*t, I forgot I only have a thousand in there! The kid made me go withdraw cash earlier and I really thought I had money!”
“I’ll go,” Shi Yuan said, putting on his glasses and pushing himself up from the chair.
But the second he turned around, he saw a group of people walking down the hallway.
Up front were a few uniformed officers and detectives. Right behind them was Lu Chengxuan—and next to him, a striking woman with bright blonde hair just like his.
There were also several men in suits, probably lawyers.
The police and detectives split up when they met, diving straight into piecing together the chain of evidence.
Lu Wei wasn’t wearing heels, and from the looks of it, she hadn’t really had time to dress up. Still, everything about her—her posture, her movements—carried a natural grace that couldn’t be ignored.
She locked eyes with Lin Shen first, tilting her head slightly.
“Lin Shen?”
He’d never met Lu Chengxuan’s mom before and had no idea how she even recognized him. A bit nervous, he swallowed hard and nodded. “Hi, Auntie. Yeah, it’s me.”
Lu Wei didn’t say anything else. She just looked toward the light above the operating room.
“The bill’s been paid. Is he alright?”
“Not sure yet. The surgery’s still going. They’re cleaning and stitching the wound now,” Lin Shen said.
Lu Wei let out a soft sigh, then turned and sat down on the bench, her eyes fixed on the glowing red ‘In Surgery’ light with visible worry.
“Did they catch the guy?” Lin Shen asked, turning to Lu Chengxuan.
“Two of them got away—they’re still searching. But they did catch Xu Shengrung. He’s being questioned right now. He’s claiming that Lin Wangye stabbed himself. Now he’s asking to see family, hoping they’ll help him file for a leniency letter for disturbing public order.”
Shi Yuan closed his eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“He doesn’t have any family.”
Lin Shen had originally planned to tone things down a little in front of Lu Chengxuan’s mom, but the moment he heard that, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He exploded.
“Forgive my ass! Let him rot! I’m suing that bastard! If I don’t make sure that piece of sh*t dies in prison, I’ll take his last name!”
The yelling caught the attention of a police officer nearby who’d just finished the evidence handoff. He walked over.
“Are you one of the victims?”
Lin Shen nodded. “Yeah. At the time, they threatened me to go withdraw money, so I wasn’t at the scene.”
“Please come with us to give your statement.”
“Sure.”
While Lin Shen followed the officer away, Lu Chengxuan stepped aside to answer a phone call. The hallway outside the OR went quiet again. Shi Yuan and Lu Wei sat on the bench against the wall, a space between them. Neither of them spoke for a long time.
It wasn’t until Lu Wei finally shifted her gaze from the OR doors and looked at him that the silence broke.
“You’re Xiao Lin’s boyfriend, right?”
She spoke softly, but it wasn’t a question—it was a statement.
Shi Yuan’s mind was already scattered to pieces. With everything that had happened, he hadn’t even managed a basic greeting. Her voice caught him off guard, and it took him a second to realize she was talking to him. He hadn’t expected her to know about him and Lin Wangye, but he nodded slowly, lowering his eyes.
“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you trouble.”
Lu Wei’s voice was gentle, almost delicate.
“Don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. No child gets to choose who they’re born to. Whatever excuse he tries to make, no matter how he spins it, I’ll make sure he ends up behind bars.”
Shi Yuan looked like he was one breath away from completely falling apart, but he forced himself to keep it together and replied hoarsely, “Thank you… for everything.”
Lu Wei looked at him for a long moment, a softness in her eyes—something like pity.
“Don’t let Xiao Lin see you like this. It’ll break his heart.”
Shi Yuan drew in a shaky breath, eyes shut tight. “I know.”
She could tell he needed some time to get his emotions in check, so she didn’t say anything else—just waited quietly with him outside the operating room.
Roughly twenty minutes later, after Lu Chengxuan and Lin Shen had returned, the red ‘In Surgery’ light finally turned off. Doctors and nurses came out together, rolling the bed out with them.
Lin Wangye hadn’t woken up yet. He was still out cold from the anesthesia.
The boy who used to be like a little bird every morning—lively, noisy, full of energy—was now completely quiet. He lay there in the white hospital bed like a delicate doll, sound asleep. Just looking at him like that made everyone feel awful inside.
His left hand and shoulder were both wrapped in thick layers of gauze, which at least made things look a little less scary.
Lin Shen rushed up first, anxiety written all over his face. “Doctor, how is he? Is he gonna be okay?!”
“It’s not too serious,” the young surgeon who operated on him replied. “The stab wound was near the collarbone—about three centimeters deep. His left hand had several cuts, deep enough to expose the bone. Compared to the stab wound, the hand injury is actually a bit worse. There’s some irreversible nerve damage. We had to stitch it up—fifteen stitches.”
Lin Shen’s brain practically short-circuited. “You mean… he’s crippled?!”
The doctor shook his head. “No, not that. He’ll still be able to live normally, as long as he heals well. But it won’t be as flexible as before. If he was planning on doing something like playing piano professionally or anything super precise with his hands… he might want to consider a different path.”
Lin Shen clutched his chest and let out a long breath. “Doctor, please don’t pause like that. You scared the hell out of me.”
At that moment, one of the three lawyers—who had been standing silently behind Lu Wei this whole time—tilted his head and quietly discussed something with the others.
“The stab was close to the heart. Maybe the victim struggled and threw the attacker’s aim off.”
“There’s definitely a possibility of attempted murder.”
The doctor turned to them. “This patient’s part of a criminal case, right? You’ll need an injury assessment, yeah?”
Lu Wei stepped forward and nodded. “Yes. Please coordinate with the hospital for that.”
“Alright, come with me then.”
He motioned for the nurses to wheel Lin Wangye to the ward. Just as he was about to leave, Lin Shen chased after him.
“Doctor, when will he wake up?”
“Soon.”
The doctor kept walking, not even turning his head.
The injury report would become one of the key pieces of evidence in raising this case to a serious criminal offense with significant social impact. Once things were moving, Lu Wei left Lu Chengxuan in charge of watching over Lin Wangye and headed out to handle the legal follow-up—pressing charges, seeking justice, all of it.
Not long after, Lin Wangye was moved to a single room in the inpatient wing and hooked up to an IV for infection control.
Ever since he came out of surgery, Shi Yuan hadn’t taken his eyes off him—not even once. Which is why, the moment Lin Wangye stirred, Shi Yuan was the first to notice he was waking up.
The anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off yet, so Lin Wangye couldn’t really feel the pain. When he opened his eyes, his body felt heavy, and his head was foggy.
The moment he noticed Shi Yuan suddenly standing up from beside the bed, Lin Shen—who had been curled up on the couch messing with his phone—leapt up, rushed over, and started waving his arms in chaotic gestures like he was praying to every god out there.
“You’re awake! Holy crap, surviving this—thank you to all the deities!”
Lin Wangye didn’t have the strength to speak. He slowly turned his eyes toward the bedside, searching for Shi Yuan, and the second their eyes met, his gaze trembled. His lower lip quivered.
He could feel it—Shi Yuan was angry.
And not just a little angry. The kind of furious that he’d never seen from him in either of their lives.
Lin Shen had no idea what had gone down between them. But when he saw Shi Yuan’s expression shifting like stormy skies, his gut told him this was bad. He tried to kick at Shi Yuan a few times under the bed and scrambled to find something—anything—to ease the tension.
“Son, hey, the doctor said you’re fine, right? Once you heal up, you’ll be bouncing around like normal! Worst-case scenario is that from now on you’ll suck even more at video games than I do!”
As soon as he finished, the whole room fell dead silent.
Lin Shen scratched his head. He was still wondering why nobody was laughing at his joke when he heard Lu Chengxuan calling from behind:
“Lin Shen, come out for a second.”
He turned around and saw Lu Chengxuan already standing at the doorway of the hospital room.
Lin Shen glanced at Lin Wangye, then back at Shi Yuan, hesitated for half a second, gave Shi Yuan a nudge with his foot, and slipped out of the room.
The two of them—Shi Yuan and Lin Wangye—stared at each other without saying a word.
The air was so still, you could probably hear a pin drop.
Lin Wangye had never planned on hiding his plan forever.
He’d thought about telling Shi Yuan—of talking it through. But that was impossible. Because he knew Shi Yuan would never let him do it.
So after thinking it over and over again, he decided to wait until he recovered. He’d find a good time, then tell him the truth.
But he hadn’t expected Shi Yuan to figure it all out before he even woke up.
And in that moment, he suddenly realized just how serious this was.
He could see it now—how ridiculous, how impossible, how unacceptable this whole thing must seem from Shi Yuan’s point of view.
Shi Yuan really tried to hold himself back. But he couldn’t hide it—his emotions were written all over his face.
And in that suffocating silence, Lin Wangye’s eyes turned red.
He could read it, clear as day, in Shi Yuan’s eyes: the pain, the heartbreak, the disappointment.
He swallowed hard and tried his best to speak.
“There was… no other way…”
“Lin Wangye,” Shi Yuan finally said, his voice low and shaking, “you’re really something else.”
“You’re ruthless.”
Shi Yuan sat down slowly at the edge of the bed. His fingers trembled slightly, eyes filled with a storm of fury—yet the hand that reached out to touch Lin Wangye’s face was as gentle as a feather. He gave a bitter little smile.
“This one stab… is enough to hurt me for a lifetime.”
Lin Wangye turned the corner of his mouth ever so slightly. A single tear slipped from the corner of his eye, soaking silently into the pillow.
Just that one tear was enough to extinguish all of Shi Yuan’s rage in an instant.
He gently wiped the tear away with his fingertip, voice trembling.
“Be good, alright? Let’s never do this again.”
Lin Wangye nodded hard, lips twitching as he struggled to speak.
“Little puppy loves you… doesn’t want anyone else… to hurt you.”
Shi Yuan stroked his cheek, gaze melting into the familiar depth and tenderness Lin Wangye knew so well. He leaned down and placed a reverent kiss on his forehead.
“I love you too. Always.”
*
Author’s Note:
There’s no way we’re letting some scumbag ruin a love story—brave little puppy sent him off the stage instantly.
A few disclaimers and clarifications:
‘The law isn’t the ceiling of human behavior—it’s the floor.’
In real life, there are unfortunately many people who skirt the law and escape punishment. What Xiao Lin did here was the result of long, careful consideration. The act itself relied on several specific conditions: there were no surveillance cameras in the empty shop; the provocation happened right there; and most importantly, Xiao Lin had a strong support network to clean things up afterward.
Even so, there were still significant risks.
Please do not imitate this. We aren’t protagonists with plot armor, and real-life consequences are unpredictable and uncontrollable. Whenever possible, the best course is still to turn to the law to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
